Groundbreaking new research by Cambridge scientists has provided innovative new treatments for those suffering from Type 1 diabetes.

The study, funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, has brought scientists closer to the development of a commercially viable ‘artificial pancreas’ system.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce insulin, the hormone which regulates blood sugar levels. Living with this condition requires regular insulin injections and finger print tests. However, these treatments carry medical risks of their own.

The new technology aims to solve these problems through use of a glucose monitoring system and an insulin pump.

Though both of these pieces of technology are already widely used, the research has provided a breakthrough in linking the two devices together, to make a system tantamount to an ‘artificial pancreas’.

It is hoped that this research will help solve the problem of ‘insulin stacking’ – situations where a large evening meal or evening exercise can increase the risk in hypoglycaemic attacks in the night.

Avoiding such attacks can be debilitating for diabetes sufferers, as they require the checking of blood sugar levels regularly both day and night. They are also a particular concern to parents of diabetic children since, if they remain unchecked, such attacks can be fatal.

When tested, the new technology was effective in keeping insulin levels in a normal range 60% of the time, as opposed to a standard insulin pump therapy, which is 40% effective in the same task.

The artificial pancreas also halved the number of times that blood glucose levels fell to the level considered mild hypoglycaemia. It also prevented blood glucose levels falling into significant hypoglycaemia, whereas nine such hypoglycaemic events were seen in the control studies.

Dr Roman Hovorka of the Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge commented: ‘Our results show that commercially-available devices, when coupled with the algorithm we developed, can improve glucose control in children and significantly reduce the risk of hypos overnight.

‘This is the first randomised study showing the potential benefit of the artificial pancreas system overnight using commercially-available sensors and pumps. Our study provides a stepping stone for testing the system at home.’

The results of the medical trials, which were performed upon 17 children and teenagers over a span of 54 nights in Addenbrookes Hospital, have been received positively by the funding charity. Karen Addington, Chief Executive of JDRF, hailed the study as ‘proof of principle that type 1 diabetes in children can be safely managed overnight with an artificial pancreas system.

‘We need to redouble our efforts to move the artificial pancreas from a concept in the clinic to a reality in the home of children and adults with type 1 diabetes.’

Dr Victoria King, research manager at leading health charity Diabetes UK, has also praised the work as ‘an important step forward in managing overnight blood glucose levels as well as in the eventual development of a full 'artificial pancreas' which could vastly improve the quality of life for people with type 1 diabetes and reduce the risk of the associated complications.’